The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-10-02
A MISSISSIPPI RELIGION.

New and Strange Development of Theocracy
"A Negro Woman It's High Priestess.
Grenada Letter in New orieths Picayune.
Grenada county furnishes new theocracy.
which is Interesting Along after the war a
gro woman named Scnda, who was q slave of
Captain Mitchell. farmer of this county, sud
denly revealed to the world that she had been
inspired by God and was servant OF his to di-
rect his psople. both black and white. She
ganized a band of exhorrsrs and went from farm
to farm pleading with both colors to quit their
meanness Her band grew and now it numbers
something like 800 members of her color.
10 company with some friends l drove out to
her church. which is situated three miles from
here, Sunday evening. Long before we reached
the church We could hear the picking of the
banjo and the shutting of feet Alighting,
Scnda, arrayed in gorgeous red and yellow,
came to the door to greet US and welcome US IN.
The church is small structure made of pine
logs Around on the walls hang her parapher-
MALTA used in her marches through the country.
In the center of the room stood little table
covered with a red cloth with grotesque figures
of white sewed on il. This is where the mem
bers speak.
inspirations of the day. He consumed about
ten minutes. then they danced and sung and
played the banjo and shouted. When dancing
begins they all stand up and as many as can,
join banda until circle is formed. They march
around and around. singing their chants,
occasionally stopping, and each one goes through
shuttle" to the music of a banjo. This per-
Torrance lasts about ten minutes. then another
breaches, then dance, and until q few
minutes before they break up for the day. Then
everv voice is hushed and stiffness pervades
the house.
Rising slowly and deliberately from her seat.
Scinda. the priestess of this new original. and
strange religion. proceeds to the appoin ted stand.
Every watches her with wide-eyed wonder
and is eager to catch every syllable of her utter
ances Her sermons are short and to the point.
She claims that every word escaping her lips is
from God Her sayings original. and some
of them not devoid of good sense. In her
mon SUNDAY, among other things, she said:
q Il 49,
only one side. You come to church. and, o,
nothing is too good for you to do You sing.
and pray, and dance, and shout until one would
think you are ready for Heaven. Monday comes.
you show the raw side. You with the world;
you steal you lie, and do every thing tina wrong.
That is not the Kind of religion We want. We
want the hoecake cooked through and through;
when you break it in the middle let it be brown
il is on the bottom" Speaking of law, she
said no law could be made too stringent for her.
She wanted every violation of Gods will punish
able earth we'll as in the world to come
1.-The judges of our courts" she said, fought to
be baptized IN the grace of God; the bible
that lawyers should be good and honest, and
prosecuting attorneys ought to be cbpckfnli of
religion She insists on personal cleanliness.
and in this she is not far from goodness She
rigidly enforces honesty and the prompt pay
ment of debts When a member of her band ia
convicted of doing any deed of dishonesty they
are i'm mediafely expelled from her band Scinda's
power over the temporal affairs of her members
is absolute. Her law is their law. and to incur
the enmity of their shepherdness is to displease
God.
Sne plays powerful part in the political at
fairs of Grenada county and the surrounding
country. No politician dares to oppose her,
and about election time she is the recipient of
more adulation and homage than her white ex-
ponents of the Scriptures.
She holds the balance of power, and whom a
candidate has her promise of support he is safe.
Her band probably polls 300 votes, and every
of them votes she directs. They dare
not disobey the ten-thousandth part of her sim
plest behest Il means. il they do. that Sclnda's
81 L1&k v~sHa lf
hell. She believes that person Is punished as
he behaves himself on earth: that the more be
sins the worse his punishment This is in con-
fict with the teachings of other churches. who
believe. the smallest sin is punished by torture
great the largest
She regards virtue as the highest law of God,